Reading the books before the war
by AfterHardshipComesEase
Summary: What do you think would happen if ,Nico,Percy,Annabeth,Grover, Travis, Conner, Katie, Rachel get sent back into the past to read Percy Jackson and the last olympian with the Gods? Would it even help, especially since Nico and Percy are hiding a very big secret? No Slash, Nico/Thalia, Percy/Annabeth, Travis/Katie, and maybe a few more surprises
1. Say what now?

It was a normal day on Olympus Hera was talking (arguing) to Zeus.

Apollo and Hermes were talking and laughing about pranks in hushed voices.

Demeter was complaining about Hades to Artemis, who was polishing her arrows.

Mr.D was reading a magazine about wine, Ares was polishing his sword and Aphrodite was doing her make-up.

Poseidon and Athena were having an argument. Hestia was tending the hearth quietly looking at her family.

Hephaestus was playing with pieces of metal and making toys run around his throne.

Suddenly the there was a bright light and 12 people appeared in the throne room.

The Gods jumped up and in a flash the people had weapons pointed at them.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Zeus said with barely suppressed anger but also curiosity. How could these people just land in here without going through the boundaries?

"What do you mean who are we? You're our parents! We only talked to you yesterday!" said a boy with brown curly hair, and blue eyes, he looked about 19 years old. He knew the Gods were like but he didn't think that they would forget so soon.

A girl, who looked about the same ages as the boy quickly slapped the boy around the back of the head.

Another girl who looked around 19 years old stepped forward, she had curly blonde hair and piercing grey eyes. "My name is Annabeth Chase Lord Zeus, and we know as much as you do about why we are here."

Suddenly there was another flash of light and a book fell from the ceiling.

"OWWW!" yelled the earlier boy as the book landed directly on his head and he fell to the floor face first. The other intruders started snickering at as the boy got up, while rubbing his sore head, glaring at the book.

"Quit complaining," said another boy as he bent down to pick up the book. This boy looked the same as the earlier boy except slightly shorter, with the same brown curly hair and blue eyes.

Hermes could tell why be he had a funny feeling he knew the two boys; he just couldn't put his finger on their names.

As a matter of fact some other Gods and Goddesses were having the same thoughts; a lot of them looked curiously at the intruders they wavered with their weapons.

For some reason they didn't want to hurt them.

"There's a note

'_We have sent these people from the future to read this book with the Gods, so you may prepare for what is to come. Please call Hades to read this book with you, refrain from harming him since he is important in the future. Remember that these people are your kids, do not harm them in any way and hear what they have to say.'_

_From the Fates."_ He looked up and around the room.

"I guess we should call Hades and start these books" said Athena putting down her weapons, she was curious to what happened that was so bad the Fates would do something like this.

Zeus summoned Hades, who appeared in a puff of black smoke (both brothers did like to be overly dramatic).

Hades looked completely different from his brother, while he had black hair like Poseidon his hair was long and silky unlike Poseidon's short hair.

Although he had the same temper as Zeus he knew how to hold what he had to say and when it was appropriate to speak. Surprisingly he had a lot more manners than Zeus did, although Zeus would argue against it.

A lot of the Gods and Goddesses noticed this as well but nobody was planning to speak against Zeus on that issue.

He had eyes that were pitch black, so black that you could tell what was the iris and what was the pupil, and his skin was as white as snow from hardly coming up from the underworld.

Hades had appeared at the entrance to the throne rooms, as he walked in all the demigods turned about bowed to him in respect, all expect one boy.

To say that the inhabitants of the room were shocked would be an understatement, what was going on?

Hades was so taken back, although his facial expression did not change, that he stopped walking and glances at each of the new comers as they straightened themselves.

His eyes landed on the one boy who did not bow to him the boy's face made him look at him again; he couldn't be, could he? He would recognize that face anywhere but he had just sent him off to get his memory wiped.

The boy hadn't realised that Hades was looking at him, Hades couldn't believe it, he remembered him as a hyper kid who never went anywhere without his sister.

Realising that he hadn't seen his daughter he quickly scanned all the faces of the room but he couldn't find her, he looked back at the boy.

_Something is wrong,_ Hades thought, _why isn't she with him?_

He gave the boy a quick one over without anybody noticing, the boy looked about 16 years old.

He had shaggy silky black hair that went to his shoulders pulled into a loose ponytail, he had such dark brown eyes that they looked black. He had an earring in his ear, it was a small black jade stone. He also had a hoop lip piercing, as well as a small eye brow piercing that, again, was a small black jade stone. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a band name on it, it said Trillium, **(A/N Trillium is a really band, check them out if you want. Their really amazing) **he was wearing a black leather jacket, along with black skinny jeans and black Black Sabbath converse.

"Hello Uncle, it's good to see you" said one of the new comers; it was a boy of around 19. He had sea blue eyes, shaggy black hair but unlike the earlier boy his hair ended at the base of his neck.

He looked remarkably similar to Poseidon, Hades glanced at Poseidon and they're eyes locked for a brief second. Hades simply raised an elegant eye brow at the look of Poseidon's face. He was looking at the boy with a grin that was covered by his hand; the only thing giving him away was the spark in his eyes.

All the Gods in the room seemed shocked; although Hestia had a huge grin on her face. Finally somebody had seen that Hades was nothing like how people portray him to look like. He wasn't as cold as people think he is, except maybe when he is wrongly accused and angry.

Hades turned to the boy, "What did you call me and why did you do so?" He asked in a monotone voice. He would not show how much being called something like that made him feel.

"I called you uncle, and why wouldn't I?" replied the stranger.

Hades eyes lingered on the boy's face, before he looked back at his brothers asking for an explanation.

"These children have been sent from the future so we may change what happens" replied Poseidon.

"Before we start these books I think you should introduce yourself" Said Artemis, as she took her seat.

The rest of the Gods and Goddesses followed her lead.

The girl with blonde hair stepped forward and bowed to every God and Goddess in the room including Hades and Hestia "My name is Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, Architect of Olympians." Athena smiled at her.

Then she went and sat at the chair that Hermes had got.

The boy with black hair and sea green eyes stepped forward, "My name is Percy Jackson...son of Poseidon, Saviour of Olympus" Then he went and sat down next to Annabeth.

There was an immediate uproar. "POSEIDON!" both Zeus and Hades roared

"YOU BROKE THE OATH"

Zeus looked angry, but Hades looked irritated and felt irritated. But not for the reason one might think, he was irritated at the fact that BOTH his brothers didn't have the will to keep a promise. Also at the fact that when he had promised to keep the oath he actually kept his promise. By doing this he had to keep his children locked from the world.

"Zeus and Hades, when we read this book you will realise why it was a good thing that Percy is here," Said the boy with black silky hair and black eyes, he said this in an emotionless voice.

His pitch black eyes showed no emotion. Even the way he stood, tall and chest high like he didn't care what people thought of him. His eyes were one of the most interesting things about him, they showed no emotion, not even a flicker of light in them. But, just by looking at them, you could tell a lot about him. It was strange, his eyes looked like a shield; strong, solid, and unmovable.

"My name is Nico Di Angelo son of Hades, Prince of the Underworld, and Ghost King." He said looking straight at Hades and nobody else's, Hades stared right back at him.

"YOU BROKE THE OATH AS WELL!" Poseidon yelled.

"No brother I did not, you see Nico is over 70 years old. I put him and his sister in the Lotus casino when they were young before we took the oath."

Zeus stopped himself from shouting but continued to glare at his brothers, he clenched his jaw tightly.

Hades stared at Nico, then a thought occurred to him. "What happened to your sister?"

"She died as a hero, and as a hunter" Nico said. Even after years of practice he couldn't help but feel the spark of anger and hurt he felt. He cursed himself for showing emotion at this, emotion was a sign of weakness, even if everybody thought he was the exact opposite.

Nico turned and started at Artemis as he said the last part of his sentence, Artemis stared right back; her eyes narrowing slightly as Nico's hands were resting on the hilt of his black sword.

When the two people's eyes connected they held on, it was like everybody else was not there. But in no way was this in a romantic sense. No, Gods no, this was more than the opposite.

The feeling Nico was feeling toward the person who he thought was the main reason why the only good thing, the only comfort in the living hell that his was his life was gone, was like loathing and anger.

How much he wished she would suffer for what she made him go through didn't have words to describe it.

He wished so many thing for the person who made his life worse than it had ever had, because, before, no matter how bad things got he had a reason to keep going.

Now, there really wasn't any reason why he needed to stay.

The tension was becoming so thick you could feel it, neither moved or removed their gaze from the other.

It was times like these when Nico truly resembled his father and when people truly saw that he was a true son of Hades and child of the big three.

His power was radiating off him, the shadows around him were growing bigger. They were slowly creeping towards Artemis, she, still not removing her gaze from the boys, slowly moved her hand towards her bow and the other hand to her arrows.

The other souls in the room could feel Nico's power growing, all were extremely impressed that a child had such power, and because he still had no expression on his face.

Everybody's thought were spinning in their head, all distracted by Nico's power that they only snapped out of it when Artemis had started to pull an arrow out of her quiver.

Apollo quickly grabbed his twins arm, he looked down he could feel the goosebumps that had formed.

Artemis slowly moved her gaze away from Nico and they locked with her twins. If it was anybody else they wouldn't have been able to catch the look that flashed in her eyes.

Apollo was so shocked that he almost thought he was dreaming but he must have. She hadn't had that look for years, millenniums in fact.

The last time she had that look in her eyes, the look of fear, was the last great war with their grandfather. He looked over at the person who was responsible for making his sister feel like this.

A girl had stepped forward, she had black spiky hair, sparkling sky sapphire eyes. If you were to look into them they would you captivated, they were just so beautiful.

She had, like Nico, had piercing around her face, and like Nico, her's were also black jade stones. The only difference is that she was had more ear piercings, as well as 2 eye brow piercings.

She wore a death to Barbie t-shirt with a leather jacket, black skinny jeans with black combat boots. She had a bracelet on that looked like Medusa, all round she had an aura that told you she was not someone who you wanted to be your enemy.

She had put a hand on Nico's arm while looking into his eyes motioning for him to back up and sit down. At first he just stared at her with the same expression as when he looked at Artemis. Then he nodded his head ever so slightly and sat down beside Percy, who clapped a hand on his should as an act to calm his cousin down.

The girl looked toward Artemis with a blank expression, Artemis had a shocked expression on her face, before she abruptly turned toward Zeus and said,

"My name is Thalia daughter of Zeus former lieutenant of the hunters of Artemis"

These few words had a deafening reaction, Zeus suddenly sat up straight in his seat staring at his daughter utter disbelief and shock plastered on his face. Hera was looking absolutely furious, her face was going a very unattractive shade of red, she was glaring daggers and Thalia. As if the girl was insulting her just by standing in the same room.

Thalia was glaring with the same ferocity back at Hera, Annabeth and Percy joining her. Which made Hera look taken back, how dare these insolent children disrespect her so badly?

Zeus gave Hera a hard look and she turned her glare at him but she retreated and sat back in her seat. Thalia smirked when she saw this.

"How did you change back from a tree?" asked Apollo, the rest of the Gods and Goddesses leaned forward, they too were curious on how this happened.

Thalia sighed, "Percy saved me by bringing the golden fleece to camp and placing it onto my tree"

All the Gods and Goddesses were shocked, Apollo and Hermes' jaws had dropped in a very comical way.

Percy snickered at them, realising what they were doing they snapped their mouths shut, both flushing red with embarrassment.

"If we this book doesn't explain the story then, if you have we have time, I might tell you" Percy said.

Apollo and Hermes groaned and grumbled under their breaths acting like two children who've been told off, Percy chuckled at their reaction

"Well, demigod, while you might tell them later. Tell me, now, what happened to my current and _best_ lieutenant Zoe?" said Artemis, she stressed the word best as she was silently furious for Thalia's comment on her being a former hunter. There had only been one reason why someone would be a former hunter. They must have broken the oath which lead Artemis to either kill them or turn them into an animal and have the other hunters chase and hunt them down.

Although she directed the question to Percy she was looking at Thalia. She wasn't glaring at her but she wasn't giving Thalia her normal warm smile, she was just staring at her with an icy look.

Thalia looked right back at her and looked Artemis in the eyes with the same expression.

"Zoe died protecting you and in the hands of her _father" _she spat the word father as if it pained her to just speak the words.

Thalia turned back but stopped when she saw that her father was glaring at one of her friends.

Like everybody else Grove had gained more confidence in himself since the war, his powers were becoming more evident. But being glared at by the king of the Gods still made him feel extremely anxious.

Although he wasn't braying like he would have done before, he was shifting his weight from on foot to the other, his eyes darting from the floor to Zeus' eyes.

She looked at her father with the same icy glare as she was giving Artemis.

"If I have no problem with what Grover did that night then I don't expect you to either. You can't ignore me for more than 16 years and then decide to but in to MY life when you feel like it, I don't want or _need_ you help" she said to him with so much venom in the room the other Gods and Goddesses were looking at her and Zeus with wide eyes, all dreading to see what he would do to her.

Nobody spoke to Zeus like that and doesn't get vaporized.

Zeus was so startled that he actually sat back into his seat and shifted his gaze to Thalia, and actually looked at her right in the eye for the first time. He had never realized that she had his eyes.

Deciding that she really didn't want her best friend taken away again, Annabeth put a calming hand on Thalia's shoulder and got her to sit in her seat next to Nico.

Grover quickly can forward and bowed to all the immortal beings in the room, lingering a little when he was bowing to Zeus. Like everybody he had become more confident in his own abilities after the war, he was a lot more muscular and that was evident since he was wearing a sleeveless shirt. His acne had calmed down and his horns had grown a remarkable length. He looked so unrecognisable, so much that Dionysus almost spat out his diet coke.

How could this be the same can eating, mission failing, constantly blaring, stuttering goat boy that he had seen the previous day?

"I am Grover Underwood Lord of the Wild appointed by the late Lord Pan" he said, then he looked at Hermes with sad eyes before retreating and taking a seat next to Thalia.

Hermes didn't know what was harder to believe, the fact that the Satyr found his son and his son had pick him of all people to become a Lord or the fact that his son was dead.

Two boys came forward.

Hermes blinked, rubbed his eyes and then blinked again, slowly a massive grin spread across his face.

"Travis Stoll Cabin Leader of the Hermes cabin." Travis was tall and skinny with a mop of curly brown hair that hung in his blue eyes. Like most of the other children of Hermes, he had upturned eyebrows, a sarcastic smile and a gleam in his eyes. He has a crooked smile to match his personality and was a little bit taller than his brother, Connor, which is the only way people can tell them apart.

He smirked at everybody and mocked saluted his dad before sitting down.

The other lad stepped forward, "Connor Stoll Cabin leader of the Hermes Cabin." Connor looked identical to Travis. He copied Travis' salute and went and sat next to him.

Hermes winked at his boys and chuckled, he had a feeling that they were going to have an awesome time playing and planning pranks.

A girl with wavy dark brown hair which had light brown highlights, her eyes were the same dark brown as her hair. She also had a few freckles across her nose. She bowed to everybody and lingered slightly when bowing to her mother, who she sent a warm smile and received one in turn.

"My name is Kate Gardener Cabin Leader of the Demeter Cabin"

Demeter smiled at her and she sat next to Travis.

The last girl came forward, she was tall and slim with blazing red hair, bright and wide green eyes which flickered around the room as if memorizing and scanning every detail of the room. She had freckles on her nose, and she was wearing a over-large t-shirt, doodled covered jeans, which seemed to have holes in them.

Apollo did a double take when he looked at her, not because he thought she looked hot (not that he didn't think so) but because he sense an aura around her. Something that was vaguely familiar to him, like a distant memory that was on the tip of his tongue.

"My name is Rachel Elizabeth Dare and I'll tell you what I am when the time it right." She said after she also had bowed to all present.

Nobody said anything against this but the Gods and Goddess did look at each other, all thinking the same thing: _she isn't one of mine_

"Well I guess we should get started, " said Athena "I'll read first

**I go cruising with Explosives.**

**Was it good? I hoped you liked it! plz review and I'll try to upload as fast as I can. I dont mind constructive criticism, I actually prefer it from anything else, it always helps.**


	2. I go cruising with Explosives

** The end of the world started when a Pegasus landed on the hood of my car.**

**Up until then, I was having a great afternoon. Technically, I wasn't supposed to be driving because I wouldn't turn sixteen for another week, but my mom and my stepdad, Paul, took my friend Rachel and me**

Annabeth tried not to get annoyed at this; she and Rachel were friends now. She reminded herself that this was in the past, although she couldn't help but feel irritated.

Percy and Rachel looked apologetically at her, while the other demigods snickered at them, everybody except Nico.

**to this private stretch of beach on the South Shore, and Paul let us borrow his Prius for a short spin.**

"That was really irresponsible of him" said Athena. Annabeth nodded her head.

**Now I know what you're thinking,**_**wow, that was really irresponsible of him, blah, blah, blah,**_

Everybody laughed at looks on Annabeth and Athena's faces.

While Annabeth had a face of mock-disgust, Athena had an actual face of disgust.

**but Paul knows me pretty well. He's seen me slice up demons and leap out of exploding school buildings, so he figured taking a car a few hundred yards wasn't exactly the most dangerous thing I've ever done.**

Poseidon paled at this. Hoping his son didn't have to do a lot of dangerous missions.

**Anyway, Rachel and I were driving along. It was a hot August day. Rachel's red hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore a white blouse over her swimsuit. I'd never seen her in anything but ratty T-shirts and paint-splattered jeans before, and she looked like a million golden drachmas.**

Percy and Rachel both blushed at this. They both were looking at anything but each other and Annabeth. While everybody laughed at their expressions.

"Percy!" said a smirking Travis, "you shouldn't be checking her out."

This caused the two of them to blush harder and glare at Travis, everybody to laugh harder and Annabeth to glare harder.

It took a good 10 minutes for everybody to calm down.

"**Oh, pull up right there!" she told me.**

**We parked on a ridge overlooking the Atlantic. The sea is always one of my favourite places, but today it was especially nice – glittery green and smooth as glass, as though my dad was keeping it calm just for us.**

Poseidon chuckled, he might have been.

**My dad, by the way, is Poseidon. He can do stuff like that.**

"Really, Percy?" asked Thalia sarcastically Percy, being older and more mature, mock-glared at him and stuck out his tongue.

While everybody was chuckling at this, Nico couldn't help but feel slightly envious. People might think that Percy was the one with the worst life, the one with the hard chooses the one who had to cope with all the things happening around him, but nobody knew what had happened to him. What had made him become from what he was, (which was a happy, carefree, loving, hyper child), to a person who showed as much emotion as a rock.

He looked a lot more like his father than he liked, he used to wish he looked more like his mother. He used wish he didn't have the olive-near pale skin, the pitch black eyes. He used to wish he could look a lot more like Bianca.

He inwardly cringed, though his face said the same, he might act like nothing got to him, and nothing bugged him, but a lot of thing made him feel angry with himself. He had so much self-loathing for himself, the only persons hate that could match his is Atlas' hatred for holding up the sky or Kronos' hate for the gods.

He started to cut himself a few months ago, just so he could see that this was his life and not a horrible nightmare, he had thought of just committing suicide and ending his unwanted, unnecessary life. The only thing keeping him alive was the thought that if he killed himself he would have to enter the field of punishment and he wouldn't be able to see Bianca or his mother.

His mother, if you knew Nico well enough you could see his expression soften slightly, the ghost of a grin on his face. His face hadn't had a smile on it since Bianca died.

Percy, Thalia, Annabeth and Grover had all tried to get him to smile, tried to make him feel involved, make feel like they like having them around, but it didn't matter how much they tried, he knew the others always felt uncomfortable around him. Katie, Travis and Conner were ok, they were better than the rest of them.

He knew he was the main subject of gossip and rumours. Half the camp didn't like him and spread rumours about him while the other campers just ignored him. He couldn't decide which one was worse.

He knew that Hades was looking at him, he could feel it. But, unlike before, he didn't care what his father thought of him, after all that happened to him. He knew his father would never accept him and he would always live in the shadow of his sister.

He knew Hades thought that Bianca was better than him. He was constantly reminded, so he looked back at Hades with the same black pitch eyes.

Hades looked at his son with the same expression as him, meaning none. He couldn't see what his son thought of him, he wanted to know how their relationship was in the future. He also wanted to know what happened to his daughter. How exactly she died.

"**So" Rachel smiled at me. "About that invitation,"**

"**Oh… right." I tried to sound excited. I mean, she'd asked me to her family's vacation house on the St. Thomas for three days.**

"She did?" asked Annabeth. Percy looked apologetically at her.

**I didn't get a lot of offers like that. My family's idea of a fancy vacation was a rundown cabin on Long Island with some movie rentals and a couple of frozen pizzas,**

"It doesn't matter what you do Percy, along as you're with your family and having fun" said Hestia. Everybody jumped slightly; they had forgotten that she was there. Since she hardly ever talked, but when she did everybody would listen.

Percy smiled at her, he had always liked her.

**and here Rachel's folks were willing to let me tag along to the Caribbean.**

**Besides, I seriously needed a vacation. This summer had been the hardest of my life. The idea of taking a break even for a few days was really tempting.**

"It wasn't easy for the rest of us ether Percy" muttered Annabeth.

"I know" he replied, with a sad expression on his face.

**Still, something really big was supposed to go down any day now. I was "on call" for a mission. Even worse, next week was my birthday. There was this prophecy that said that when I turned sixteen, bad things would happen.**

The gods paled at the reminder of the prophecy.

Poseidon paled even more when he realised that the prophecy was about his son.

As much as his brothers were feeling a little bit sorry for Percy and Poseidon, they couldn't help but feel slightly happy and relieved that it was not there children. Even if they didn't show it, all the gods cared about their children.

"**Percy," she said, "I know the timing is bad. But it's**_**always**_**bad for you, right?"**

"She has a point" said Thalia.

**She had a point.**

"NO! I THINK LIKE KELP-HEAD!" Yelled Thalia, Everybody burst out laughing. The boys, except Nico, were laughing on the floor, while the female gods and demigods were trying not to fall off their chairs. Percy just sat there and mock-glared at everybody, but his mouth was twitching at his attempts to not smile.

It took everybody a good 10 minutes to stop laughing.

"**I really want to go," I promised. "It's just–"**

"**The war?"**

The room instantly tensed again. The demigod's expressions turned from amusement to sad. The gods looked at each other worriedly; they had all seen the looks on their children's faces.

"Wow, Percy. You really know how to ruin the mood" said Travis, trying to lighten the mood. Percy chuckled slightly.

**I nodded. I didn't like talking about it, but Rachel knew. Unlike most mortals, she could see through the mist – the magic veil that distorts human vision.**

Apollo had a thoughtful look on his face, he looked at Rachel and a small smile formed on his face.

**She'd seen monsters; she'd met some of the other demigods who were fighting the titan's and their allies. She'd even been there when the chopped up Lord Kronos rose out of his coffin in a terrible new form,**

All the Gods paled at the thought, while the demigods just bowed their heads in respect for all the lives that that 'Lord' had taken good or bad.

Athena, who had read the next line, smiled and started to laugh.

"How could you be laughing?" asked Aphrodite

Everybody jumped; she had been so quiet, which was really unnatural for her since she would always be talking, that they had forgotten that she was there.

**And she'd earn my permanent respect by nailing him in the eye either a blue hairbrush.**

Everybody was laughing; the whole of Olympus was shaking from the laughter. Percy, Annabeth were laughing harder at the memory.

Rachel was smiling sheepishly, while blushing.

Apollo and Hermes were acting out the scene.

"I am Lord Kronos fear me" said Apollo in a low menacing voice, but it was kind of ruined cause he was shaking from suppressed laughter.

"I am Rachel Elizabeth Dare, "said Hermes in a weird squeaking girly voice as he pretended to through something at Apollo.

"OWW!" yelled Apollo as he fell from his throne causing everybody to laugh harder. The boys were lying on the floor clutching their sides, while the girls were trying to keep some dignity but they were laughing really loud in their seats.

"Ok, ok that's enough" said Artemis, although she was still chuckling.

"Yes, let's continue reading." said Hera

**She put a hand on my arm, "Just think about it, okay? We don't leave for a couple of days. My dad…." her voice flattered.**

Annabeth's glare softened, she knew what it was like to have dad problems.

Rachel looked down with a sad expression on her face.

Athena decided to read on.

"**Is he giving you a hard time?" I asked.**

**Rachel shook her head in disgust. "He's trying to be **_**nice **_**to me, which is almost worse. He wants me to go to Clarion Ladies' Academy in the autumn."**

"**The finishing school were you mother went"**

"**It's a finishing school of society girls, all the way in New Hampshire. Can you see me going to a finishing school?"**

"No" said Thalia shaking her head.

**I admitted the idea sounded pretty dumb.**

"NO! THALIA, DON'T GO TO THE DARK SIDE! YOUR THINKING LIKE PERCY!" shouted Travis and Conner.

Everybody was laughing, except Nico and Hades, as Percy pouted.

"No!" exclaimed Thalia, "I don't wanna be a Seaweed brain!"

Everybody laughed harder as Percy huffed and glared at Thalia, but you could see his lips twitching.

**Rachel was into urban arts and feeding the homeless and going to protest rallies to 'Save the Endangered Yellow-Bellied Sap Sucker' and stuff like that. I'd never seen her wear a dress. It was hard to imagine her learning to be a socialite.**

**She sighed, "He thinks if he does a bunch of nice things for me, I'll feel guilty and give in."**

"**Which is why he agreed to let me come with you guys on vacation?"**

"**Yes….but Percy, you'd be doing me a huge favour. It would be **_**so **_**much better if you came with us. Besides, there's something I want to talk -" she stopped abruptly.**

"Was it about the visions you were having?" whispered Katie. Rachel nodded."

"It wasn't like I knew anybody else to talk to, I didn't know any other demigods back then" Rachel whispered back.

Athena cleared her trout which made them both look up. They realised that everybody was looking at them. They both blushed red and Rachel signalled Athena to continue. The boys snickered behind their hands, while the 2 girls glared at them.

"**Something you wanna talk about?" I asked "You mean….so serious we'd have to go to St Thomas to talk about it?"**

**She pursued her lips. "Look, just forget it for now. Let's pretend we're a couple of normal people. We're out for a drive, and we're watching the ocean, and it's nice to be together."**

**I could tell something was bothering her, but she put on a brave smile. The sunlight made her hair look like fire.**

"You're very observant I see, Percy" said a smirking Apollo.

"Yes, you seem to see every detail" added a snickering Hermes.

Everybody chuckled as Percy shifted in his seat as Annabeth glared at him again.

**We'd spent a lot of time together this summer. I hadn't planned it that way, but the more serious things got at camp, the more I found myself needing to call up Rachel and get away, just for some breathing room. I needed to remind myself the mortal world was still out there, away from all the monsters that wanted to use me as their personal punching bag.**

Annabeth's glare softened slightly at this. The other demigods sent sympathetic looks at him.

"Ha, what you running away from? Fighting is fun! Why would you wanna stop?" boomed Ares.

Everybody jumped; he had been so quiet that they had all forgotten he was there.

"Not everybody likes to fight, Ares." said Artemis, it was kind of weird hearing her say it, since she was the goddess of the hunt.

"**Okay," I said. "Just a normal afternoon and two normal people"**

"Technically it's just one normal-ish person, since you can't count Percy as normal." said Conner.

"Is today, pick on Percy day?" asked Percy in mock anger, but you could see the amusement in his eyes.

**She nodded. "And so…. .Hypothetically, if these two people liked each what would it take to get the stupid guy to kiss the girl, huh?"**

Everybody burst out laughing; Travis, Conner, and Thalia were on the floor clutching their sides, howling with laughter. Percy and Rachel were blushing furiously and pointedly not looking at Annabeth.

"Wow Rachel I thought you had better taste than that" snickered Conner, who had to dodge a blow aimed at his head by a blushing Rachel

"I'm sorry" mouthed Rachel to Percy, who nodded his head.

Annabeth was fuming in her seat, her face red from suppressing the urge to scream her head off.

_Calm down_, she told herself, _Percy would have told me if they actually kissed._

But she couldn't help but glare at Percy and Rachel.

Athena didn't know what to think, Annabeth obviously cared about the Sea spawn, but other hand she didn't want her daughter to be going out with him.

She shook her head she would find out everything in this book.

"**Oh…." I felt like one of Apollo's sacred cows - slow, dumb, and bright red. "Um…"**

"Hay!" yelled Apollo "My cows are cool!"

"Sure they are Lord Apollo" said Conner.

Apollo pouted while everybody just snickered.

**I can't pretend I hadn't thought about Rachel. She was so much easier to be around than….. Well, then some other girls I knew.**

"And who, might those girls be?" said Annabeth, while her eyes glared daggers at him. Percy put his hands up in front of his face. "Just….some other girls"

Travis, Conner snickered behind Percy

"You got owned by you girlfriend." whispered Travis.

Unfortunately for them the girls had heard them. Now all of the boys were getting glared at by the girls.

All the gods looked at their children in amusement, who knew having demigod up here was a good thing. Athena decided to carry on before the boys heads exploded because of the fierce glares they were getting.

**I didn't have to work hard, or watch what I said, or wrack my brain trying to figure out what she was thinking. Rachel didn't hide much. She let you know how she felt.**

**I'm not sure what I would have done next, but I was so distracted I didn't notice the huge black form swooping of the Prius with a WUMP-WUMP-CRUNCH!**

"_**Hey, boss, **_**a voice said in my head. **_**Nice car!**_

**Blackjack the Pegasus was an old friend of mine,**

"Ahh, Pegasus's are awesome" said Poseidon fondly.

Some people jumped and turned towards him. The demigods were startled, since in their time all the gods do is argue with each other. It was surprising that they were all being quiet.

**So I tried not to get to annoyed by the craters he'd just put in the hood, but I didn't think Paul Blofis**

"Blowfish?" asked Poseidon with a hint if amusement in his voice.

"That's what I nicknamed him" said Percy smiling, he really like Paul but he still wasn't exactly the same as Poseidon.

**Would be real stocked.**

"**Blackjack" I sighed. "What are you -?"**

**Then I saw who was riding his back, and I knew my day was about to get a lot more complicated.**

"Why, what does gonna happen" asked Poseidon looking worried.

Percy shook his head and looked down, "you have to read to find out" he said.

"**Sup, Percy"**

**Charles Beckendorf,**

Hephaestus smiled at the mention of his favourite son.

All the demigods looked sad at the mention of their lost friend. None of the Gods noticed this except Athena and Hestia, and they didn't like it.

**Senior counsellor for the Hephaestus cabin would make monsters cry for their mommies.**

Hephaestus smiled proudly, while Ares grunted he liked the sound of this kid.

**He was huge, with ripped muscles from working in the forges every summer. He was two years older than me and one if the camps best armour-smiths. He made some seriously ingenious mechanical stuff. A month before, he'd rigged a Greek fire bomb in the bathroom of a tour bus that was carrying a bunch of monsters across the country. The explosion took out a whole legion of Kronos' evil meanies as soon as the first harpy went **_**flush.**_

All the Gods started laughing, Hephaestus was beaming with pride.

"I like your kid, he got guts!" Ares said between laughs.

They continued to laugh until they realized that the demigods weren't joining in. finally the realized the sad smiled on their faces,

"Your son was amazing" said Percy. He had a small sad smile on his face. "What do u mean _was_?" asked Hestia

"You have to read to find out." said Thalia when it was clear that Percy wasn't gonna say anything.

Hephaestus was beginning to start to worry. He motioned Athena to read.

**Beckendorf was dressed for combat. He wore a Bronze breastplate and war helm with black Como pants and a sword strapped to his side. His explosive bag was slung over his shoulder.**

"**Time?" I asked**

**He nodded grimly.**

**A lump formed in my throat. I'd known this was coming. We'd been planning it for weeks, but I'd half hoped it would never happen.**

"Wimp" yelled Ares "you're a wimp! Why are running away from a fight you…AHH!" he didn't finish his sentence cause he got socked with salt water.

He fell off his throne and on the floor, when he got up he had seaweed in his hair, and he was socked.

Everybody was snickering while Poseidon was glaring at him. Percy smiled at his hair; Ares couldn't do anything so he just glared at Poseidon.

**Rachel looked up at Beckendorf. "Hi"**

"**Oh, hey. I'm Beckendorf. You must be Rachel. Percy's told me….uh, I mean he's mentioned you."**

The demigods couldn't help but smirk at the look Annabeth was giving Percy. Even Hephaestus managed a weak chuckle, he was too worried for his son, and the looks the demigods had been not reassuring.

**Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Really? Good." she glanced at Blackjack, who was clopping his hooves against the hood of the Prius. "So I guess you guys have to go save the world now.**

"**Pretty much," Beckendorf agreed.**

**I looked at Rachel helplessly. "Would you tell my mum-?"**

"**I'll tell her. I'm sure she's used to it. And I'll explain to Paul about the hood"**

**I nodded my thanks I figured this might be the last time Paul loaned me his car.**

"**Good luck." Rachel kissed me before I could even react.**

Athena looked at Percy with raised eyebrows. Percy and Rachel were trying to hind behind Conner and Thalia's chair shielding away from Annabeth's glare.

Aphrodite was giggling in her throne;

Apollo and Hermes were laughing their heads off between wolf-whistles.

While the other Gods and demigods were laughing as Annabeth was trying to not get mad, as she reminded herself that this was in the past and there was nothing she could do about it. She leaned over to Percy, who was trying to back off, since he thought she was gonna get mad at him.

"Its fine Percy." whispered Annabeth.

Then to everybody's surprise and Athena's disgust, Percy leaned over and gave her a huge hug.

"Thanks, Wise girl" he whispered back.

When they broke apart and sat down, Annabeth smiled slightly at Rachel, who nodded and come back from behind Conner's chair. Percy looked at Athena and asked her to continue.

"**Now get going, half-blood. Go kill some monsters for me."**

**My last view of her was sitting in the shotgun seat of the Prius, her arms crossed, watching as Blackjack circled higher and higher, carrying Beckendorf and me into the sky. I wondered what Rachel wanted to talk about, and whether I'd live long enough to find out.**

"Always thinking about the bright side aren't you?" grunted Zeus. Everybody looked at him, jumping slightly since he was being so quiet.

Poseidon started to worry; he didn't want anything happening to his son.

"**So," Beckendorf said, "I'm guessing you don't want me to mention that little scene to Annabeth."**

"**Oh, gods," I muttered, "don't even think about it."**

**Beckendorf chuckled, and together we soared out over the Atlantic.**

The gods chuckled at this, while the demigods had that sad look on their faces. The gods noticed the looks, but this time they didn't mention it.

Poseidon reminded himself that Percy was still here, right in front of him. Hephaestus didn't look better; he kept reassuring himself that nothing could have happened.

"Don't worry" said Hestia. Everybody stared at her, she doesn't usually talk. "Even if something does happen, we can change it. That is the reason why these young demigods are here."

Everybody nodded, Hephaestus looked less worried. "It still doesn't make things easier to hear. "Said Percy.

**It was almost dark by the time we spotted our target. The **_**Princess Andromeda **_**glowed on the horizon - a huge cruise ship lit up yellow and white. From a distance, you'd think it was a party ship, not the headquarters for the Titan lord. Then, as you got closer, you might notice the giant figurehead - a dark-haired maiden in a Greek chiton, wrapped in chains with the look of horror on her face, as if she could smell the stench of all the monsters she was forced to carry.**

"Sounds pleasant" said Apollo as made to move behind his throne and throw up.

"It was as pleasant as Aunty EM's garden gnome emporium." said Annabeth. She and Percy flinched at the reminder.

**Seeing the ship again twisted my gut into knots, I'd almost died twice on the **_**Princess Ardromeda**_**.**

Annabeth had the same feeling in her stomach; she held Percy's hand for comfort. He squeezed back slightly.

**Now it was heading straight for New York.**

All the demigods flinched; they looked sadly at each other. The gods didn't fail to notice this, what could have happened that was so bad? thought Zeus, obviously it was bad the Father was back, but why were our children so affected by this. How come we didn't just stop him? He was brought out of his thought by Athena reading.

"**You know what to do?" Beckendorf yelled over the wind.**

**I nodded. We'd done dry runs at the dockyards in New Jersey, using abandoned ships as our target. I knew how little time we would have. But I also knew this was our best chance to end Kronos invasion before it started.**

"**Blackjack," I said, "set us down on the lowest stern deck"**

_**Gotcha, boss, **_**he said. **_**Man, I hate seeing that boat.**_

**Three years ago, Blackjack had been enslaved on the **_**Princess Andromeda **_**until he'd escaped with a little help from my friends and me. I figured he's rather have his mane braided like My Little Pony than be back here again.**

Everybody chuckled at the mental image.

"That's Seaweed brain, always getting lightening the mood" said a chuckling Thalia. The tension in the air lifted slightly.

"**Don't wait for us," I told him.**

_**But, boss-**_

"**Trust me," I said. "We'll get out by ourselves."**

**Blackjack folded his wings and plummeted towards the boat like a black comet. The wind whistled in my ears. I saw monsters patrolling the upper decks of the ship - **_**dracaenae **_**snake-women, hellhounds, giants, and the humanoid sea-lion demons known as telkhines - but we zipped by so fast none of them raised the alarm. We shot down the stern of the boat and Blackjack spread his wings, lightly coming to a landing on the lowest deck. I climbed off felling queasy.**

"Wimp" whispered Ares. He didn't say it loudly otherwise he was gonna get another bath.

_**Good luck, boss, **_**Blackjack said. **_**Don't let 'em turn you into horsemeat!**_

**With that, my old friend flew off into the night. I took my pen out of my pocket,**

"What are you going to do, write all over him?" smirked Ares.

Percy's eyes flashed and in a second he had taken out his pen, uncapped it and had the blade against Ares neck.

"What the - "yelled Ares. The gods and demigods clapped at how fast Percy could be.

"Actually I was planning to slice them up" said Percy calmly. Then in another second he had taken the sword away capped it and sat back in his seat.

"Why you little punk" growled Ares, he didn't like to be embarrassed by a demigod.

"Ares-" said Poseidon "I will not let you harm my son"

Grumbling Ares sat down slowly; he continued to flare at Percy, while Percy calmly looked back.

Athena decided to carry on reading before somebody got hurt.

**And Riptide sprang to full size - one meter of deadly celestrial bronze glowing in the dusk.**

**Beckendorf pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. I thought it was a map or something. Then I realized it was a photograph. He stared at it in the dim light – the smiling face of Silena Beauregard, daughter of Aphrodite.**

The demigods had the sad look on their face, again. Aphrodite smiled at her husband, glade that her daughter had someone. Annabeth had to fight the urge to spill a few tears.

**They'd started going out last summer, after years of the rest of us saying, "Duh, you guys like each other!"**

"If we had told you and Annabeth that would you have gotten together earlier if we had told you that?" said a smirking Katie. Everybody chuckled at their faces.

Percy and Annabeth flushed, but they held each other's hands.

**Even with all the dangerous missions, Beckendorf had been happier this summer that I'd ever seen him.**

The demigods were starting to feel a little depressed at hearing this, but what Hestia said seemed to bounce in all of the minds, making them feel better. 'We can change this'

"**We'll make it back to camp" I promised.**

Percy flinched at his words, a wave of guilt washed over him. As if knowing what was going through his mind, Annabeth squeezed his hand harder. He looked at her; she shook her head at him. He smiled slightly, he nodded.

**For a second I saw worry in her eyes. Then he put his old confident smile.**

"**You bet," he said. "Let's go blow Kronos back into a million pieces.**

**Beckendorf led the way. We followed a narrow corridor to a service stairwell, just like we'd practiced, but we froze when we heard noises above us.**

"**I don't care what your nose says!"Snarled a half-human, half-dog voice – a telkine. "The last time you smell half-blood, it turned out to be a meatloaf sandwich.**

The tension lifted in the throne room slightly as everybody laughed at this.

"**Meatloaf sandwiches are good!" a second voice snarled.**

This sent everybody laughing again.

"**But this is half-blood scent, I swear. They are on board!"**

"**Bah, your **_**brain **_**isn't on board!"**

This sent everybody into laughter once again. "If anything, you have to admit that monsters can be entertaining sometimes" said Demeter.

The tension had been completely lifted from the room monetarily.

**They continued to argue, and Beckendorf pointed downstairs. We descended as quietly as we could. Two floors down, the voices of the telkhines started to fade.**

**Finally we came to a metal hatch. Beckendorf mouthed the words, **_**Engine room.**_

**It was locked, but Beckendorf pulled some chains cutters out of his bag and spit the bolt like it was made of butter.**

**Inside, a row of yellow turbines the size of grain silos churned and hummed. Pressure gauges and computer terminals lined the opposite wall. A telkhine was hunched over a console,**

The tension returned to the room.

**But he was so involved in his work he didn't noticed us. He growled and muttered as he tapped the keyboard. Maybe he was messaging his friends on**

Even though everybody was tensed they couldn't help laugh.

"Do u always has random thoughts? Even in dangerous situations?" said Artemis.

Percy nodded sheepishly, everybody laughed a bit harder.

Annabeth shook her head fondly. Once a Seaweed brain always a Seaweed brain.

**I stepped forward and he tensed, probably smelling something was wrong.**

The tension returned...again.

**He leaped sideways toward a big red alarm button, but I blocked his path. He hissed and lunged at me, but one slice of Riptide, and he exploded into dust.**

**"One down," Beckendorf said. "About five thousand to go."**

A small humourless chuckle escaped from the room. Hades was deep in thought, how many monsters got out of the underworld? He mentally groaned, he had a lot of work coming.

**He tossed me a jar of thick green liquid- Greek fire, one of the most dangerous magical substances in the world. The he threw me another essential tool of the demigod heroes- duct tape.**

All the demigods cracked a smile, so did some of the gods. Except Poseidon, he was pale and trying to stop himself shaking. He was so worried about Percy.

**"Slap that one on the console," he said. "I'll get the turbines."**

**We went to work. The room was hot and humid, and in no time we were drenched in sweat.**

**The boat kept chugging along. Being the son of Poseidon and all, I have perfect bearings at sea. Don't ask me how, but I could tell we were at 40.19 north, 71.90 west, making eighteen knots, which meant the ship would arrive in New York Harbour by dawn. This would be our only chance to stop it.**

**I had just attached a second jar of Greek fire to the control panels when I heard the pounding of feet on metal steps- so many creatures coming down the stairwell I could hear them over the engines. Not a good sign.**

Poseidon paled at this; he didn't want his son to get hurt. Hephaestus was thinking the same thing. All the gods and goddesses looked worried except Hades.

Hades didn't look any different, but he was as worried as everybody else in the inside, but of course he would never admit it.

**I locked eyes with Beckendorf. "How much longer?"**

**"Too long." He tapped his watch, which was our remote control detonator. "I still have to wire the receiver and prime the charges. Ten more minutes at least."**

**Judging from the sound of the footsteps, we had about ten seconds.**

Everybody sat up straighter.

**"I'll distract them," I said. "Meet you at the rendezvous point."**

Poseidon and Percy groaned. Poseidon didn't like the fact that Percy had to do the mission on his own. Percy was thinking that if he hadn't gone Beckendorf might have lived. But then he remembered Thalia's word, this can change.

**"Percy-"**

**"Wish me luck."**

**He looked like he wanted to argue. The whole idea had been to get in and out without being spotted. But we were going to have to improvise.**

**"Good luck," he said.**

**I charged out the door.**

Poseidon tried to control his breathing, he knew Percy was fine.

**A half dozen telkhines were tromping down the stairs. I cut through them with Riptide faster than they could yelp.**

Ares nodded his head in approval; kill them before they had a chance to kill you.

**I kept climbing – past another telkhine, who was so started he dropped his Lil' Demons lunch box.**

"It was a cool lunch box" chuckled Percy.

**I left him alive- partly because his lunch box was cool, partly so he could raise the alarm and hopefully get his friends to follow me rather than head towards the engine room.**

_Good plan _thought Athena, though she wasn't gonna say it out loud.

**I burst through a door onto deck six and kept running. I'm sure the carpeted hall had once been very plush, but over the last three years of monster occupation the wallpaper, carpet, and stateroom had been clawed up and slimed so it looked like the inside of a dragon's throat (and yes, unfortunately, I speak from experience.)**

Poseidon looked at his son "Do I want to know?" he asked

Percy had a sheepish smile on his face and shook his head.

Poseidon groaned, he was sure he was gonna have a heart attack at the end of the stories.

**Back on my first visit to the **_**Princess Andromeda**_**, my old enemy Luke**

Hermes looked at the demigods at this. "My Luke?" he asked.

The demigods nodded, all of them had sad expressions on their faces. Most of all Annabeth and Thalia.

Hermes paled, "No...No...please...not my Luke" he muttered. He put his head in his hands, shaking from suppressed sobbing. Apollo raped Hermes in a one armed hug.

"Remember, we CAN change this" said, surprisingly, Hera. She didn't like her family upset, she wanted a peaceful family.

Hermes sat up straighter when he heard this, he rubbed his red eyes. He was gonna man up, this isn't gonna happen. Maybe, just maybe he might be able to save his dear May. He missed her so much.

**Had kept some dazed tourist on board for show, shrouded in Mist so they didn't realize they were on a monster-infested ship. Now I didn't see any sign of tourists. I hated to think what had happened to them, but I kind of doubted they'd been allowed to go home with their bingo winnings.**

Hestia shook her head sadly; it wasn't fair they didn't do anything. They were innocent mortals not knowing what was happening. The hearth dimmed down a bit.

**I reached the promenade, a big shopping mall that took up the whole middle of the ship, and I stopped cold. In the middle of the courtyard stood a fountain. And in the fountain squatted a giant crab.**

Poseidon paled and groaned. Athena started muttering under her breath, thinking of a battle plan.

**I'm not talking "giant" like $7.99 all-you-can-eat Alaskan king crab.**

Unable to stop themselves, everybody let out a weak chuckle.

"That's Seaweed Brain always lightening the mood, whether knowing it or not" chuckled Thalia.

Annabeth shook her head fondly and smiled at Percy. He smiled back at her, happy that she wasn't mad anymore.

**I'm talking **_**giant**_** like bigger than the fountain. The monster rose ten feet out of the water. Its shell was mottled blue and green, its pincers longer than my body.**

Poseidon paled even more, Ares –on the other hand- was happy since there was finally some action happening.

**If you've ever seen a crab's mouth, all foamy and gross with whiskers and snapping bits, you can imagine this one didn't look any better blown up to billboard size.**

**Its beady black eyes glared at me, and I could see intelligence in them- and hate. The fact that I was the son of the sea god was not going to win me any points with Mr. Crabby.**

"Mr. Crabby" chuckled Apollo, trying to lighten the mood and make Hermes laugh. He smiled when Hermes let out a small chuckle.

**"**_**FFFFfffffff**_**," it hissed, sea foam dripping from its mouth. The smell coming off it was like garbage can full of fish sticks that had been sitting in the sun all week.**

**Alarms blared. Soon I was going to have lots of company and I had to keep moving.**

**"Hey, crabby." I inched around the edge of the courtyard. "I'm just gonna scoot around you so-"**

Annabeth looked at Percy, disbelief written on her face. "Did you honestly think that would work?"

Percy smiled sheepishly at her, "I had to try"

Annabeth shook her head fondly.

**The crab moved with amazing speed. It scuttled out of the fountain and came straight at me, pincers snapping. I dove into a gift shop, ploughing through a rack if T-shirts. A crab pincersmashed the glass walls to pieces and raked across the room. I dashed back outside, breathing heavily, but Mr. Crabby turned and followed.**

**"There!" a voice said from a balcony about me. "Intruder!"**

Everybody tensed at this, all the gods looked at each other. They knew something bad was gonna happen. Even though they knew he was alright, the demigods could help feel a little bit scared for Percy.

**If I'd wanted to create a distraction, I'd succeeded, but this was not where I wanted to fight. If I got pinned down in the centre of the ship, I was crab chow.**

**The demonic crustacean lunged at me. I sliced with Riptide, taking off the tip of its claw. It hissed and foamed, but didn't seem very hurt.**

**I tried to remember anything from the old stories that might help with this thing. Annabeth had told me about a monster crab- something about Hercules crushing it under his big food?**

Thalia grinned at Percy, "You actually listened to what she says?"

Annabeth smiled at Percy,

"When she always blabs things, you do pick a few things up"

Then the smile was wiped off her face and she glared at Percy.

He grinned cheekily at her.

The gods looked at the demigods in disbelief, how could they be so casual about these things? Then they realised all their kids had faced a war against Kronos. They all survived, but how many people have they seen die? How many battles have they had to fight and how many times have they been close to death?

**That wasn't going to work here. This crab was slightly bigger than my Reeboks.**

**Then a weird thought occurred to me. Last Christmas, my mom and I had brought Paul Blofis to our old cabin at Montauk, where been going forever. Paul had taken me crabbing, and when he'd brought up a net full of the things, he'd shown me how crabs have a chink in their armour, right in the middle of their ugly bellies.**

_Not a bad plan _thought Athena, though she would never say it out loud.

**The only problem was getting to the ugly belly.**

**I glanced at the fountain, then at the marble floor, already slick from scuttling crab tracks. I held out my hand, concentrating on the water, and the fountain exploded. Water sprayed everywhere, three stories high, dousing the balconies and the elevators and the windows of the shops. The crab didn't care. It loved water. It came at me sideways, snapping and hissing, and I ran straight at it, screaming, "AHHHHHHH!"**

"Nice war cry" snickered Ares.

Percy chuckled remembering Tyson's war cry.

**Just before we collided, I hit the ground baseball-style and slid on the wet marble floor straight under the creature. It was like sliding under a seven-ton armoured vehicle.**

Poseidon paled, and then remembered that Percy was right in front of him. He tried to control his breathing.

**All the crab had to do was sit and squash me, but before it realized what I was going on, I jabbed Riptide into the chink in its armour, let go of the hilt, and pushed myself out the backside.**

**The monster shuddered and hissed. Its eyes dissolved. Its shell turned bright red as its insides evaporated. The empty shell clattered to the floor in a massive heap.**

Ares grinned while the demigods cheered slightly. Poseidon was happy that his son got out of this fight without harm.

Percy grinned remembering what happened.

**I didn't have time to admire my handiwork.**

Since Percy did have time now, he was grinning like a madman.

Conner rolled his eyes, "Great, another thing to inflate your ego" he said in a mock-teasing voice. All the demigods knew that Percy didn't have the slightest of ego and would do anything to save a friends life.

**I ran for the nearest stairs while all around me monsters and demigods shouted orders and strapped on their weapons. I was empty-handed. Riptide, being magic, would appear in my pocket sooner or later, but for now it was stuck somewhere under the wreckage of the crab, and I had no time to retrieve it.**

Annabeth and Poseidon didn't like this, even though they knew he was alright and he got out. None of Percy's friends like this either, only Percy was alright and completely relaxed.

**In the elevator foyer on deck eight, a couple of dracaenae slithered across my path. From the waist up, they were woman with green scaly skin, yellow eyes, and forked tongues. From the waist down, they had double snake trunks instead of legs. They held spears and weighted nets, and I knew from experience they could use them.**

Poseidon grounded, just how much fighting did Percy do?

**"What isss thisss?" one said. "A prize for Kronosss!**

**I wasn't in the mood to play break-the-snake, but in front of me was a stand with a model of the ship, like a YOU ARE HERE display.**

**I ripped the model off the pedestal and hurled it at the first**_** dracaena. **_**The boat smacked her in the face and she went down with the ship.**

The demigods cheered while Percy grinned. Ares made a grunting noise in approval.

**I jumped over her, grabbed her friend's spear, and swung her around. She slammed into the elevator, and I kept running toward the front of the ship.**

**"Get him!" she screamed. Hellhounds bayed. An arrow from somewhere whizzed past my face and impaled itself in the mahogany-panelled wall of the stairwell.**

The tension started to rise in the room as Poseidon's face started to pale.

**I didn't care- as long as I got the monsters away from the engine room and gave Beckendorf more time.**

Percy bowed his head, and Annabeth squeezed his hand. Hephaestus looked at Percy and smiled slightly at him. Happy that there was someone that was helping his son.

**As I was running up the stairwell, a kid charged down. He looked like he'd just woken up from a nap. His armour was half on. He drew his sword and yelled, "Kronos!" but he sounded more scared than angry. He couldn't have been more than twelve- about the same age I was when I'd first arrived at Camp Half-Blood.**

The gods looked at each other; they were shocked to know that their children were turning from then. They were trying to help destroy them.

The demigods bowed their heads thinking of all the people that went to join Kronos. All who died.

Percy looked up at the gods and saw their expressions.

"You didn't think this would ever happen?" he asked

All the gods looked at him in shock, except Hestia. She was happy that finally there was someone who was gonna show her family that their ways were wrong.

"What are you talking about?" said Zeus. He was shocked that someone would dare talk agents him.

"You didn't actually think that none of your children would go against you after the way you treated them?" he said

"Yah, they way you ignore us, but you still accept us to be ok with it. You want us to sacrifice some food for you in the campfire but then you never actually help us?" said Travis, his expression was shockingly hard. Everybody was surprised and looked at him, he never looked like this. He was always the one trying to lighten the mood.

Some of the gods had the descents to look ashamed, but some gods, like Hera glared at the demigods. How dare they be so rude?

"It's not our fault though" said Apollo glaring at Hera.

"It was the right choose you were spending too much time with your children then your work" she said sticking her nose in the air.

Thalia glared at her "You are supposed to be the goddess of family. You are the worst goddess in the WORLD! Look at your 'family'. Half of them want to kill and destroy you, cause of the STUPID rule!" she was practically screaming at the end.

Hera's face was red with rage; she stood up from her throne ready to vaporize the insolent child. But Thalia wasn't planning to go down without fighting.

But before anything could happen, Zeus got up and stood in front of Hera

"You will not do anything to harm my daughter" he said, it was clear that he was trying and failing to sound calm.

Hera glared at him but sat down. She looked at Thalia with disgust and hate in her eyes.

Katie put her arms around Thalia and pulled her down, saying comforting words in her ear.

Annabeth looked at the rest of the gods, "What Thalia said was true. You can't abandon your kids to the monsters and think it alright."

All the gods and goddess looked shameful and embarrassment, while some glared at Hera since she made the rule in the first place.

She stuck her nose in the air, she was right. How dare they try to define her? But even though she was thinking this, she couldn't help but feel sad that everybody was angry at her. All she wanted to do was help and look where that got her. She was starting to feel slightly strange; she couldn't place what this feeling was.

**That thought depressed me. This kid was getting brainwashed – trained to hate the gods and lash out because he'd been born half Olympian. Kronos was using him, and yet the kid thought I was his enemy.**

All the demigods bowed their heads in remembrance. The gods looked at each other, how many of their children died? How could this happen?

The gods had a silent agreement after the book they were gonna have a serious discussion about what their gonna change.

**No way was I going to hurt him. I didn't need a weapon for this. I stepped inside his strike and grabbed his wrist, slamming it against the wall. His sword clattered out of his hand.**

**Then I did something I hadn't planned on. It was probably stupid. It definitely jeopardized our mission, but I couldn't help it.**

Annabeth groaned, "What did you do?"

Percy smiled sheepishly at her.

**"If you want to live, "I told him, "get off this ship now. Tell the other demigods." Then I shoved him down the stairs and sent him tumbling to the next door.**

Hestia smiled at Percy, she liked him. He seemed like a good kid. Even though he could have killed the child he didn't.

**I kept climbing.**

**Bad memories: a hallway ran past the cafeteria. Annabeth, my half brother Tyson, and I had sneaked through here three years ago on my first visit.**

Poseidon made a metal note to ask Percy about his other adventures.

**I burst outside onto the main deck. Off the port bow, the sky was darkening from purple to black. A swimming pool glowed between two glass towers with more balconies and restaurant decks. The whole upper ship seemed eerily deserted.**

**All I had to do was cross to the other side. Then I could take the staircase down to the helipad- our emergency rendezvous point. With any luck, Beckendorf would meet me there. We'd jump into the sea. My water powers would protect us both, and we'd detonate the charges from a quarter mile away.**

**I was halfway across the deck when the sound of a voice made me freeze. "You're late, Percy."**

The room tensed up. Everybody's faces paled, except Percy. He couldn't help but looked sad and sent an apologetic look at Hermes.

**Luke**

Hermes looked up, his face gone completely white. He knew Luke's fate and that he could change it know because of the books but that doesn't mean it wasn't pain-full to listen to this. All traces of humour gone from his face and eyes. They were replaced with dread and fear.

Apollo was looking at Hermes with worry across his face, his usual humour gone as well. Hermes put his head in his hand and became to break down in sobs.

"Why? Why you Luke...why did I have to lose you?" he kept saying in-between sobs.

Apollo, and everybody for that matter, was looking really worried since they have never seen Hermes act like this. Except...the time when he came back and he said May was in an accident. They knew that Apollo had a faint idea what happened but even he didn't know everything.

All the women in the throne room had misty eyes, even Artemis who didn't believe in love, and all the men had sad expression. Except Hades and Nico they were looked the same as ever on the out-side, they didn't feel remorse for the dead or the dying. Experience had taught them that.

After a few minutes when there was silence except Hermes' crying. He lifted his head up, his eyes were red from the crying and there was tear marks on his face.

He said in a chocked voice "Just read, the sooner we get this over with the better"

Apollo smiled slightly at him, but when Hermes didn't return it and just looked at the floor of the throne room tears running down his face, he started to feel worried.

**Stood on the balcony above me, a smile on his scarred face. He wore jeans, a white T-shirt, and flip-flops, like he was just a normal college guy, but his eyes told the truth. They were solid gold.**

Hermes and the demigods shivered at this. Hermes hunched his back and sobbed harder into his hands.

Everybody was really worried about him, nobody more that Apollo, Travis and Conner.

Since he was their children, Travis, even if it was reluctant, couldn't help but think what his reaction would be if it were either of them. Would their father act the same way? Would he even care? He shook his head bitterly, then he felt slightly disgusted with himself, Luke was dead and even if he was evil for a while. He was still his brother.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Katie shaking her hand in front of his face trying to get his attention.

"Hello, anybody in their?"She said.

He nodded his head and sat straighter in his chair. Now was not the time to think about these things. His father was upset and he was gonna try and help.

**"We've been expecting you for days." At first he sounded normal, like Luke.**

Annabeth, Thalia, Percy and Hermes shivered.

**But then his face twitched. A shudder passed through his body as though he'd just drunk something really nasty. His voice became heavier, ancient, and powerful- the voice of the Titan lord Kronos. The words scraped down my spine like a knife blade. "Come, bow before me."**

"Like that would ever happen" muttered Grover.

**"Yeah, that'll happen," I muttered.**

Grover pretended to look disgusted at thinking like Seaweed brain. Everybody chuckled at his face, while Percy mock-glared at him. The tension in the room lifted slightly. But it still wasn't enough to make Hermes forget. Which made Apollo even more worried than before, he had to get Hermes back to normal.

**Laistrygonian giants filed in on either side of the swimming pool as if they'd been waiting for a cue.**

Everybody paled. Hermes sat up straight in his chair; he wiped the tears off his cheeks. He remembered what Percy said, this can be changed. He wasn't gonna cry all day for something that will not happen.

Even though everybody knew that Percy came out alive they still couldn't help but feel slightly worried. Poseidon had to control his rapidly beating heart.

**Each was eight feet tall with tattooed arms, leather armour, and spiked clubs. Demigod archers appeared on the roof above Luke. Two hellhounds leaped down from the opposite balcony and snarled at me. Within seconds I was surrounded. A trap: there's no way they could've gotten into position so face unless they'd known I was coming.**

Athena had a thought-full look on her face, how could Kronos know that the sea spawn would be there. She made a mental note of this, before concentrating on the story.

**I looked up at Luke, and anger boiled inside me. I didn't know if Luke's consciousness was even still alive inside that body. Maybe, the way his voice had changed . . . Or maybe it was just Kronos adapting to his new form. I told myself it didn't matter. Luke had been twisted and evil long before Kronos possessed him.**

Annabeth shot a sharp look at Percy "He was not!"

Thalia looked at him as well with a hard look in her eyes but also sadness.

Percy looked at Annabeth helplessly, while Katie patter Thalia's shoulder and said comforting words in her ear. She seemed to relax a bit and she slumped in her chair leaning on Nico's shoulder, ever so slightly.

Artemis narrowed her eye at this but didn't say anything since she could see that Thalia needed this.

Even though, she couldn't help but look at Nico with a protective glint in her eyes, she might feel sad that his sister died when she was part of her hunters but that didn't give him the right to touch her soon to be hunter or look at her like that. She made a mental note to keep a closer eye on the boy.

But what she didn't know is that Nico was feeling something he hadn't felt in a long time. It was a weird feeling, a feeling he hadn't felt since Bianca was alive. A feeling of warm fuzziness inside of him making him feel surprisingly safe. Although it was an extremely faint feeling now, he couldn't help but feel slightly happy that he could feel something. It was, sadly, extremely strange to feel anything besides pain, self loathing and anger.

Of course nobody was ever gonna now about it, showing emotion was a sign of weakness as he was constantly reminded by his father.

He would not show anybody any weakness.

**A voice in my head said: **_**I have to fight him eventually. Why not now?**_

The demigods groaned and they all looked at Percy, he just shrugged sheepishly at them.

Poseidon groaned, he was gonna have a heart attack if Percy kept thinking like this. Even though he knew Percy was fine and alive he still couldn't help but feel helpless and fear inside. He felt so useless, he wished he could have helped his son, but knew he couldn't.

**According to that big prophecy, I was supposed to make a choice that saved or destroyed the world when I was sixteen. That was only seven days away. Why not now? If I really had the power, what difference would a week make?**

Athena looked at him like he was an idiot, "Of course a week could make a difference!"

The other gods and goddesses looked at as though they couldn't believe that this child would have the guts to face Kronos by himself. They were 12 Olympians and they just barley took him down.

Ares grunted in approval. "I like you kid, you got guts. But, of course, you could never beat me in a fight"

Annabeth, Percy and Grover were trying hard not to laugh at this.

"Thanks Lord Ares" said Percy, who was trying and failing to keep a straight face.

Ares looked at them confusion written all over his face. Noticing his face Annabeth waved a hand in a dismissing way.

"It's a story for another time"

**I could end this threat right here by taking down Kronos. Hey, I'd fought monsters and gods before.**

"Gods?" Poseidon all but shrieked, "When have you fought with a god?"

The rest of the Olympians looked at Percy as well, wanting to know.

Looking at all their faces Percy knew he would have to answer. He sighed, "I've only physically fought Ares and Hades, but I have managed to annoy Athena, Hera, Zeus, Dionysus, Triton, and Amphitrite and annoyed Hermes slightly, also all the Titans." He said while ticking off on his finger, he face was as calm as ever, and his eyes were twinkling with amusement.

Poseidon was becoming more and more pale, he looked paler than Hades. The other Olympians looked at Percy in shock, how could he do all those things and still be alive.

Ares looked at Percy, "I beat you didn't I?" He asked. Of course he knew he won but something about the boy's expression made him doubt himself.

Grover, Annabeth and Percy were trying to control their laughter, "you got beat by a 12 year old" said Percy.

Unable to control it any longer the three of them started roaring with laughter.

Then everybody, besides Nico and Hades, started to roar with laughter when they looked at Ares face. The goddesses were trying to keep their dignity but they had to grip the arms of their chairs to stop themselves from falling on the floor.

The gods and demigods did nothing to stop themselves. Grover, Percy and Annabeth were clutching their stomachs trying to breath, laughing the hardest at the memory.

Hades, although he was not laughing, he did have a slightly amused expression, then it was gone, remembering that the boy had also fought him.

"What about me boy?" he asked.

When everybody had stopped laughing and was climbing back onto their chairs.

Percy was wiping the tears that had come from laughing so hard, off his face. Still slightly wheezing, he looked at the god of the underworld. Then he nodded his head and burst into a fit of laughter again.

This time nobody joined him, they just looked at him in awe, again except Nico since he was there at the time.

This 'boy' had fought against the Lord of the dead and survived.

Anger and disbelief emanated from Hades in waves though his expression stayed the same.

Nico looked at his father; he was inwardly shocked, although he didn't show it. His father was displaying more emotion then he had ever seen, even if they were not good ones.

To the people in this time it was nothing odd, Hades acted like this every time he and his brothers 'talked'.

But to him, he had never seen anything of the sort, his father never displayed any sort of emotion what so ever. It was quite a surprising thing to see.

Poseidon beamed at his son, _hah, beat that, brothers, _he thought.

Percy finally stopped laughing and looked straight into Hades' eyes without any hint of fear, just amusement.

Which sort of frightened the Olympians, except Hestia, how could this demigods not be frightened?

"You'll find out soon" he nodded at Hades.

**As if reading my thoughts, Luke smiled. No, he was **_**Kronos. I had to remember that.**_

**"Come forward," he said. "If you dare."**

**The crowd of monsters parted. I moved up the stairs, my heart pounding. I was sure somebody would stab me in the back, but they let me pass. I felt my pocket and found my pen waiting. I uncapped it, and Riptide grew into a sword.**

**Kronos weapon appeared in his hands- a six-foot-long scythe, half Celestial bronze, half mortal steel. Just looking at it made my knees turn to Jell-O. But before I could change my mind, I charged.**

The light mood evaporated from the room immediately. The tension started to rise in the room.

**Time slowed down. I mean **_**literally slowed down, because Kronos had that power. I felt like I was moving through syrup. My arms were so heavy; I could barely raise my sword. **_**Kronos smiled, swirling his scythe at normal speed and waiting for me to creep toward my death.**

Poseidon started to breathe shaking.

**I tried to fight his magic. I concentrated on the sea around me- the source of my power. I'd gotten better at channelling it over the year, but now nothing seemed to happen. I took another slow step forward. Giants jeered **_**Dracaenae hissed with laughter.**_

_**Hey, ocean, I pleaded. Any day would be good.**_

**Suddenly there was a wrenching pain in my gut. The entire boat lurched sideways, throwing monsters off their feet. Four thousand gallons of salt water surged out of the swimming pool, dousing me and Kronos and everyone on the deck.**

Although he didn't like hearing about his son was in danger, Poseidon was happy that he could defend himself. Also that he could help him slightly, he was also very proud that Percy had enough power to control this much water.

He beamed at his son, noticing, Percy smiled back. Happy that his father was proud of him, Paul was awesome but he always liked hearing from Poseidon.

Thalia was looking at this, and although she knew Percy deserved this, she could help but feel slightly envious.

He father never looked at her like that; of course her mother never looked at her except when she wanted to scream and through empty beer bottles at her.

She always wondered what his father saw in his mother, she was one of the most horrible people she had ever met.

It was one of the reasons she took on the look of the rebel. The punk black rebel clothes, always black, spiked hair.

After all she went to she couldn't really see any happiness in her life. When she was little she never knew her father, she might have seen him once but she never knew him.

The only reason she stayed as long as she did was because of Jason. He was the little light at the end of her extremely long dark tunnel.

But when he disappeared, that was the last straw; she refused to accept any more rubbish from the thing that was her mother.

She packed her bag and left. When she found Luke and they started a family, they became the best of friends. They had each other's back; they knew each other like the back of their hands.

Then when they found Annabeth, Luke promised they were gonna be a family. They would always stick together, never leaving each other.

When Grover found them and brought them to Camp Half-Blood, she was happy that there was a place for them to rest without being attacked by monsters.

But when all the monsters were chasing them, she was running faster then she had ever run.

When she saw the big house by the strawberry fields, she was so happy she forgot about Luke and Annabeth for a second. She was just happy she was alive.

But then she heard a scream, she turned and say and what she was terrified her, although she would never admit it.

All the monsters were gaining on the others, she was the only one near the entrance. Disgusted that she even thought of forgetting the others, she ran back. She started to beat all the monsters while screaming to Grover to take Annabeth and Luke up to the hill.

When she was fighting she didn't even stop to think, adrenaline was rushing through she veins. She didn't even realise she was becoming to tire out.

All she wanted to do was stop them from reaching the others, only when the monsters were getting more and more hits on her, did she notice that she was out numbered.

She thought she was seriously gonna die, then and there. With a grim grin on her face she was slightly happy that even if she was gonna go down, she was going down fighting and that she had helped the others to safety.

When her arms couldn't bear the weight of her sword and shield any longer, she closed her eyes waiting for death to come to her.

But after a few moments, when she didn't feel anything, she opened her eyes or tried to. She didn't have eyes, she tried to speak, tried to call for Luke or Annabeth.

Maybe they know what's happening to her, maybe they could explain. But when she realised she didn't have a mouth, she couldn't speak and nobody could hear her.

But for some reason she could still see, she could see everybody around her, she could still hear them.

Even if they couldn't hear her.

So that's how she spend many years of her life, as a tree all she could do was watch and listen to everybody around her growing up, learning new things, seeing new places.

She watch Annabeth grow up to be a cute 12 year old. But never did she once regret her chose. Because of her chose Annabeth was able to grow up, where she could train, surrounded by good people.

Thalia shook her head, she never regretted her decision, and she didn't do it to pleas her father, she wanted to protect her family and that's what she did.

**The water revitalized me, breaking the time spell, and I lunged forward.**

Poseidon smiled at his son.

Zeus was looking at the boy with a slight awe. How had he been able to break through Fathers spell so easily?

When it took him so many, many years of practise to even try to stand up to his father let alone break his spell.

**I struck at Kronos, but I was still too slow. I made the mistake of looking at his face- **_**Luke's face- a guy who was once my friend. As much as I hated him, it was hard to kill him.**_

Annabeth shivered, it was so hard for her to fight Luke.

Just to look at his face and see the horrible golden eyes, instead of those beautiful blue eyes.

Although, she has mostly gotten over what happened to Luke, it was still hard for her to believe that he really had turned evil.

Not the Luke she remembered, the one that picked her up when she feel.

The one that helped her when she was sick, the one that always made sure she had enough to eat even when there was hardly enough for him.

The one that was always kind to her no matter what the situation was.

She felt the knife in her belt; she remembered when Luke gave it to her. The thrill she felt when she had first held it, her confidents shot up.

She felt like she could stand against every monster, that's the way she felt every time she looked at Luke in those days.

When he turned evil, she was devastated, but more than that she felt hurt.

People thought she was upset since Luke was with her when she arrived. But they didn't understand the way she felt, they didn't understand how much she loved Luke, how much she looked up to him.

They didn't understand the hurt she felt when he left she felt her whole world crumble around her. As cheesy as it sounds she really did feel horrible, but when Percy came and she understood some of the Prophecy.

She didn't really know what to feel; of course she was happy that she was a part of it, she had always dreamed of being a part of a quest.

Then she started feeling this odd connection for Percy she couldn't really explain. Even for children of Athena love was a complicated thing.

**Kronos had no such hesitation. He sliced downward with his scythe. I leaped back, and the evil blade missed by an inch, cutting a gash in the deck right between my feet.**

Poseidon paled, he really didn't like hearing about how much danger his son was in.

He glances at Hera, he mentally shook his head.

He really didn't know what was going through her head when she made the rule about how Gods and Goddesses weren't allowed to see their kids.

But then again, jealousy can make the best of people look ugly.

**I kicked Kronos in the chest. He stumbled backward, but he was heavier than Luke should've been. It was like kicking a refrigerator.**

"Ouch" said Apollo while wincing.

Everybody looked at him with a questioning gaze, he shrugged and said

"I was hungry and the fridge wouldn't open."

"Why didn't you just snap your fingers and open the fridge?" asked Athena. She said it as if she was talking to a 5 year old and it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Apollo flushed, he muttered something under his breath while everybody started to snicker loudly.

Hermes, with a grin growing on his face, leaned in slightly,

"What was that Apollo? We didn't quite catch that."

Apollo glared at him "I forgot" he grumbled.

They couldn't help it any more everybody started laughing, except Nico and Hades.

_**(A/N hey, everybody, this is ProudToBeMuslim, just saying but since I don't want to keep writing 'except Nico and Hades'. Just remember when everybody laughs their NOT)**_

**Kronos swung his scythe again. I intercepted with Riptide, but his strike was so powerful, my blade could only deflect it. The edge of the scythe shaved off my shirtsleeve and grazed my arm. It shouldn't have been a serious cut, but the entire side of my body exploded with pain.**

Percy shuddered, that was almost as painful as swimming in the river styx.

Key word being _almost,_ he had gone through a lot of pain in his 5 years of quests.

The pain when he thought he had lost his mum,

When he knew he couldn't help his mum.

When he feel more than 5000 ft. off a national monument after his thigh felt as if it was on fire.

The pain he felt when he heard Poseidon said he wished he was never born.

When he thought he had lost Tyson,

When he had to escape from the Syrians with Annabeth,

When he say Annabeth taken away and when he knew he was responsible for Bianca's death.

Having to hold up the sky, also having to see Zoe die,

Also when he had to tell Nico about Bianca.

When he was blown out of the Volcano,

Also when he found out Annabeth's Prophecy.

There was so much more but the river was more than all of that combined.

**I remembered what a sea demon had once said about Kronos's scythe: **_**Careful, fool. One touch and the blade will sever your soul from your body. Now I understood what he meant. I wasn't just losing blood. I could feel my strength, my will, my identity draining away.**_

Annabeth grabbed Percy's hand and squeezed it, he squeezed back know that she needed this.

**I stumbled backward, switched my sword to my left hand, and lunged desperately. My blade should've run him through, but it deflected off his stomach like I was hitting solid marble. There was no way he should've survived that.**

"_He shouldn't have, but he did" _thought Athena. There was only one way he could have been able to do that. Unless, no he wouldn't have, but he could have it was possible for that to happen.

Luke did seem to have the strength to do so. She would have to wait and see.

**Kronos laughed.**

**"A poor performance, Percy Jackson, Luke tells me you were never his match at swordplay."**

**My vision started to blur. I knew I didn't have much time.**

Poseidon tried to control his breathing.

**"Luke had a big head," I said. "But at least it was his head."**

Hermes nodded his head in agreement; he was devastated by what was happening to Luke. His favourite son, the best swords fighter in 300 years, his pride and joy.

Being a God doesn't make you have the ability to understand, he wished it would. But he didn't and never would understand why it had to be May and why it had to be his son.

There was a very small part of him, a part of him that he hated, but couldn't deny.

He wished it could have been another one of his kids, he hated wishing his children pain.

But he really loved May and Luke more than anybody.

He looked at Travis and Conner; he loved all his children more than people thought.

All the Gods and Goddesses did, he hated having to neglect them, and he always wished he could answer all their prayers.

He hated it when Hera made the rule that they couldn't see their children. He was so mad at her he didn't talk to her for a whole century.

He wished he could go and see his children a number of times, when his little girls were asking for his help. He wanted to be there for them, to help them get up when they feel.

To be able to protect them whenever a monster came close, and to be able to allow them some sort of a life.

He wished he could protect them more, but the only thing he, and the other Gods and Goddesses, could do was guide them to Camp Half-Blood.

**"A shame to kill you now, "Kronos mused,**

**"before the final plan unfolds. I would love to see the terror in your eyes when you realize how I will destroy Olympus."**

Zeus's eyes flashed at this, no matter how many times he denied it or acted like he didn't he really did love his brothers and Wife and family.

He loved Olympus and he was NOT going to let Kronos destroy his home.

He glanced around the room, he saw Poseidon stare at his nephew. He could practically feel the affection and loved coming from Poseidon towards his son.

He saw Hades, who when he thought nobody was noticing, looking at his other nephew. Though he knew Hades would never admit it, he could see the slight happiness in his eyes when he looked at Nico.

As he glanced at his other nieces and nephews, he's gaze lingered on his daughter, who was sitting next to Nico.

He looked her up and down, he took in her stance. She must be about 16, he thought, but like all the other kids she looked ready for war.

Although he knew she is a lot older than 16, meaning her life as a tree he could help but remember as the little girl who used to play with her younger brother.

The way he remembered her when he visited her the second time, he remembered the first time he saw her mother,

_(A/N I don't think there was a mention about Thalia's mum's name. if there was I would be really glade if you could send me an answer in a Review.)_

She was beautiful, he really couldn't resist and Hera was being so hard at the time.

He also remembered coming back a second time, looking back at it he really didn't know what he saw in her before, but she was still beautiful.

He had a nagging voice at the back of his head at the time, telling him that this was a bad idea but he couldn't help himself.

He was devastated when Hera said what she wanted him to do. He could see why she was annoyed, but he really didn't like the idea of what his son had to do. But as he was in his Roman state at the time he guessed it was fitting.

He hated hearing his daughter curse him and Hera, he really couldn't stand it when he saw that she was dying.

He didn't want any of his children leaving to join Hades; he knew Hades would have been very cruel to his daughter.

He was broken out of his thought when he heard the story going on.

**"You'll never get this boat to Manhattan."**

**My arm was throbbing. Black spots danced in my vision.**

**"And why would that be?" Kronos's golden eyes glittered. His face- Luke's face- seemed like a mask, unnatural and lit from behind by some evil power. "Perhaps you are counting on your friend with the explosives?"**

Hephaestus paled; he didn't like the sound of that. He didn't want anything to happen to one of his favourite sons.

He remembered watching over Beckendorf when he arrived at Camp Half-Blood. Remembered when he saw the delight on his son's face when he saw what he could do when he picked up a hammer.

He loved seeing all his children's creations; he had some of his kid's old things in his work shop.

He kept them away, if anybody visited, which hardly anybody did, they could see them.

He always loved to see what his kid's imaginations held, how far they stretched, what they could make.

He couldn't stand the thought of any of his kids getting hurt.

**He looked down at the pool and called, "Nakamura!"**

The Gods and Goddesses looked at each other; none of them had a child with that name.

**A teenage guy in full Greek armour pushed through the crowd. His left eye was covered with a black patch. I knew him, of course: Ethan Nakamura, the son of Nemesis.**

The Gods and Goddesses nodded to themselves it was not any of their children.

Aphrodite shook her head as if she was trying to get rid of a fly. As the Goddesses of love she hated hearing about all this hate between people.

A lot of people thought she was shallow, and that her children were. Well maybe some of them were, but she wasn't.

Ok, she loved to look good, so? What was wrong with that? She had more children than most, so? She loved to meet new people, she like seeing her children grow up.

A lot of people think she is shallow because she doesn't see Hephaestus because of his looks.

There wrong, she loves Hephaestus; she really does, but he always too busy with his machines that he doesn't have time for her.

Ares always seems to make time for her, no matter what he's doing. People think he is all about blood and war but he does have a softer side to him. A side that he hardly shows because it's not how people think he should act.

Athena is smart because she is good at remembering, Dionysus is good at making wine because he likes it.

Same thing with her, she likes looking good so she's good at that.

It was amazing how fast people can judge someone before getting to know them.

**I'd saved his life in the Labyrinth last summer, and in return, the little punk had helped Kronos come back to life.**

**"Success, my lord," Ethan called. "We found him just as we were told."**

**He clapped his hands, and two giants lumbered forward, dragging Charles Beckendorf between them. My heart almost stopped. Beckendorf had a swollen eye and cuts all over his face and arms. His armour was gone and his shirt was nearly torn off.**

"NO!" Hephaestus yelled. He looked so devastated, suddenly his face when blank, then he had determination written all over his face.

He looked at the other demigods, he nodded at Percy and he nodded back with a slight grin.

Finally, thought Katie, they're beginning to understand that we can change this. But also that they can't leave their children like this.

That not talking to them or being able to see them was a really big mistake that they should never have made.

It was a mistake with a lot of consequences.

**"No!" I yelled.**

Percy clenched his fingers, he hated seeing that. Even though he knew this was gonna help and this could be avoided in one life. He still remembers everything.

He looked at Hephaestus, he wondered how the everybody would react when they found out that nothing would change when they got back to their world.

That even if they changed some things for the Gods and Goddesses from this time, nothing would change in their time.

He never told them about the parallel worlds.

Unlike the others he knew that they were going to be sent here, the fate came to him in a dream telling him everything.

They told him not to tell anybody, easy to pretend he thought at first. He could act like he normally acted everybody thought he was a little dumb.

But the only problem was lying to Annabeth, when he looked into her eyes he could help but feel helpless.

It was so hard for him to act as if nothing was happening.

He tried to block the images coming to his head, the memories of that night.

**Beckendorf met my eyes. He glanced at his hand like he was trying to tell me something. His watch.**

Athena nodded her head, while actually paying attention to herself. She was too busy thinking, she was thinking about how she might have felt if Annabeth was in Beckendorf's position.

She knew Annabeth was involved with Percy's adventures a lot. Even if she wasn't the God of wisdom she could tell they were more than friends.

She still hadn't decided how she felt about that, on one hand she could see that he was a strong, determined, kind, loyal boy.

He didn't harm anybody unless he had to. But he was smart and strong enough to beat Kronos' attack.

But on the other hand, he was barnacle breads son. Of all the Gods it had to be him.

Well, she thought, this might be a sign saying that if their children can get along so can they.

She made a promise to herself that she would be slightly more civil to Barnacle bear- no, Poseidon from now on. For her daughters sack.

She winced, this was not going to be easy.

**They hadn't taken it yet, and that was the detonator. Was it possible the explosives were armed? Surely the monsters would've dismantled them right away.**

Hermes snorted, "I doubt it," he shook his head, "the day the monsters get smart I'll eat my own clip board.

Apollo grinned at him, he was happy that Hermes was back to normal. Or getting there, he was still pale from what he heard but at least he was laughing now and not moping about.

Unlike what people thought he was actually smart, he was different from what he seemed to be. He didn't like acting serious all the time, like Zeus.

He saw all these horrible things in his head, things like death and tragic accidents. He hated the feeling of seeing somebody or a place and knowing that it was going to happen.

There was a reason why he acted happy and carefree all the time, it's because he knew how much people take for granted.

He saw people in Manhattan walking past some of the most beautiful places and things, but they just chose to ignore it.

Most mortals he saw were so arrogant and ignorant; they thought they were the smartest in the world and that they ruled everything.

They were so wrong, they didn't even realise how wrong they were.

They thought their wars were bad, admittedly some of theirs were. (The Holocaust, the First and Second World War).

But they spend their lives not even noticing that they were all, almost dead several times. If it wasn't for the people in the throne room, all of them would be dead.

**"We found him amidships," one of the giants said, "trying to sneak to the engine room. Can we eat him now?"**

Athena, Annabeth, and everybody who had a brain, so not Conner, Travis, and Hermes, they all looked at each other. Feeling slightly brighter, at least the plan still had a chance of working.

**"Soon." Kronos scowled at Ethan. "Are you sure he didn't set the explosives?"**

**"He was going **_**toward the engine room, my lord."**_

**"How do you know that?"**

**"Err . . ." Ethan shifted uncomfortably.**

Finally, everybody started to get it; they looked at each other and started snickering.

They couldn't help it, even with the tension that was in the air, they couldn't help but laugh.

None of them had any idea why, it wasn't that funny. But they couldn't stop, they had to let the tension out some way and laughing is the best way of doing it.

It took a few minutes for them to calm down. It felt wonderful to be able to let all to stop the stress and worry of everybody's minds, even if it was for a few minutes.

**"He was heading in that direction. And he told us. His bag is still full of explosives."**

**Slowly, I began to understand.**

Annabeth shook her head grinning; she really couldn't understand how it took him such a little time to understand this. But it took him 4 years to realise that she liked him. Even for a child of Athena, she would never understand how his mind works.

**Beckendorf had fooled them. When he'd realized he was going to be captured, he turned to make it look like he was going the other way. He'd convinced them he hadn't made it to the engine room yet. The Greek fire might still be primed! But that didn't do us any good unless we could get off the ship and detonate it.**

Hephaestus smiled, which by itself is a rare thing, it seems to light up his face completely, and you wouldn't have even thought he had scars.

You could practically see the waves of proudness (A/N real word? :P) coming from him. He was happy that, for once, his children were getting some credit about helping. He knew that they did a lot of work; designing, crafting and making all the weapons.

They did help in the wars, putting the traps on with the Hermes children, making plans with the children of Athena; making Jewellery for the Aphrodite cabin, making weapons and armour for the Ares cabin. But nobody noticed it; they didn't see anything that they didn't think was important.

But it was important to see everything; no matter if you think it's not important now, it will be in the future.

**Kronos hesitated.**

_**Buy the story, I prayed. The pain in my arm was so bad now I could barely stand.**_

Poseidon could help but look at Percy just to see that he was really there and fine.

Percy grimaced, seeing his father's expression. If he thought this was bad he didn't know what he was going to do when he found out about the river Styx and what happened with Nico…

He glanced across the room, Nico looked so different now. It was hard to believe he was a hipper little kid playing around with a few action figures.

He hated seeing it, the way that no emotion came over his face or eyes. It was almost incredible when he saw the rare emotion in his eyes when he gained conscience when it happened…

He shook his head he didn't want to think about it.

**"Open his bag," Kronos ordered. One of the giants ripped the explosives satchel from Beckendorf's shoulders. He peered inside, grunted, and turned it upside down. Panicked monsters surged backward. If the bag really had been full of Greek fire jars, we would've all blown up. But what fell out were a dozen cans of peaches.**

Everybody laughed, and Hephaestus was beaming with pride. That'll show everybody, he thought, it's not just the children of Athena that can be smart.

He liked Athena he really did, she was like the nice sister to him but he wanted everybody to see that his children aren't worthless.

**I could hear Kronos breathing, trying to control his anger.**

Zeus laughed thinking about how his father's face would have looked like but then he stopped, he had looked over at Hermes and saw his face, he remembered that it was his son that his father was controlling.

For some reason he felt slightly guilty, he didn't know why, where were they at the time?

Why weren't they there when father was being resurrected?

He would never admit it out loud but he really did love his family, even his annoying brothers. He didn't like seeing them like this.

As annoying as family were sometimes, you always have to stick together. That's what families are for, he promised himself that he was going to help out more.

When the time comes he was going to be there for his family, like how they were for him.

He hated having to act like the strict, no-fun person in the family. But he couldn't help it, when everybody else was living inside his father he was the one that had to prepare every day and night to try and rescue them. He was the one who had to be level-headed and mature, the one that always thought things through before actually doing them.

He always had to see the point of doing something before actually doing it.

**"Did you, perhaps," he said, "capture this demigod near the**

**galley?"**

Everybody snickered, it was such a stupid mistake to make it was amazing that they did it.

**Ethan turned pale. "Um-"**

Percy looked slightly sad at these words, he could understand the demigods feeling when they turned over but what he didn't understand is how they thought going to Kronos' side would help.

Conner was thinking the same thing, he could understand why they would feel that way. He say the feeling in all the children who lived in the Hermes cabin.

He used to have the same feeling, even when he and Travis were claimed.

He shivered, he hated that word, claimed. It sounds as if they were just pieces of a games that the Gods played. But he knew it wasn't really the Gods fault, the fates had a weird way of working.

They were on neither persons side, good or evil. They were the ones who played the game and moved the piece.

They did what they did and they couldn't do anything to stop it. They just had to go with it and make the most of it, wither they liked it or not.

It made him feel small and insignificant, he hated the feeling.

That was one of the reasons why he and Travis always did pranks, not only to bug people, but that was one of the things since it was hilarious to see their faces, but because they wanted people to know that they were there. They wanted to be heard and not just seen, they deserved to be heard.

They weren't just gonna be a random face people vaguely remember in camp, they were going to be known. People were going to recognize them and know who they are.

He was pretty sure everybody at camp wanted the same thing.

**"And did you, perhaps, send someone to actually CHECK THE ENGINE ROOM?"**

The snickering started again.

Annabeth shook her head, from the stupidity of it all and the fact that she didn't want to think about what Kronos did to Ethan.

She really hated the way he treated people, she wasn't fond of the way the Gods treated their children but she liked it better than the way Kronos treated people.

Her mother never swallowed her up, she shivered, even thinking about it made her feel sick.

As much as she hated it she couldn't understand why the Gods were acting the way they were. It was the only way they saw fit, they thought it was kind that they let their children live.

But that still didn't give them the right to ignore so many of their kids, especially when they had no way of defending themselves.

As smart as Athena was, and she did respect her, couldn't she have seen this coming?

How could she see any sense in this? She was suppose to be the Goddess of wisdom, how could she be so unwise?

Annabeth shook her head trying to clear her head so that she could concentrate, she decided that she was going to ask her mum later.

**Ethan scrambled back in terror then turned on his heels and ran.**

**I cursed silently. Now we had only minutes before the bombs were disarmed. I caught Beckendorf's eyes again and asked a silent question, hoping he would understand: **_**How long?**_

**He cupped his fingers and thumb, making a circle. **_**Zero.**_

Poseidon gulped, he started to go pale again, he loved hearing about his son. But he hated knowing that he would have to go through so much. He wanted his son to have a happy and fun life with him. He really wished that Sally had accepted his invitation to live with him under the sea.

He was always the happiest when he was with her, she was the kindest, intelligent and amazing person he had ever met. He loved her from the moments he laid eyes on her.

He remembered when Hera made the rule that Gods couldn't be with their children, at first he was angry because that also meant that he couldn't be with Sally but after he stopped feeling angry and really thought about why Hera would do this.

He felt, he would deny it now and always feel ashamed for it, slightly happy.

When Percy was born, he was thrilled but he was also furious with himself. Not only because it would cause an argument with his brothers but because he knew Percy would have a horrible life. He thought it would be better if the child wasn't born.

It would have saved him so much heart ache, grief and a burden.

The burden of having to be one of the children of the prophecy.

The one who had to watch his friends die in front of him, in addition to having to kill people with his hand.

Having to live with the torment of not being able to live a normal life.

However, seeing his child now has changed his mind. As much as he still wished Percy didn't have to go through all this, he still loved to see him with the love in his eyes when he looked at Annabeth. The love for his friends when he looked at his fellow campers and the love for a brother when he looked at Nico.

He looked at his future nephew.

He didn't know what to make of him; he obviously was younger than Percy. He looked about 16 but if you looked into his eyes you would think he has lived a hundred years.

He couldn't make out what was going on inside his head, it disturbed him.

**There was no delay on the timer at all. If he managed to press the detonator button, the ship would blow at once. We'd never be able to get far enough away before using it. The monsters would kill us first, or disarm the explosives, or both.**

It was as if the whole room had forgotten that this had already happened. Everybody, except Percy and the obvious, were sitting on the edge of their seats. They all held their breaths waiting to hear what was going to happen.

**Kronos turned toward me with a crooked smile. "You'll have to excuse my incompetent help, Percy Jackson. But it doesn't matter. We have you now. We've known you were coming for weeks."**

**He held out his hand and dangled a little silver bracelet with a scythe charm-the Titan lord's symbol.**

Everybody sucked in a sharp breath, somebody at camp was a spy!

The Gods and Goddess looked at each other, horror, shock and anger plastered on their faces.

Horrors at the thought of one of their children were spying on them for the enemy. Or the horror at the thought that one of their nephew or nieces was a spy, because none of them wanted to believe that their children hated them.

Except Hermes, as much as he didn't want it to be true he had a horrible feeling that it was one of his children. Well what would you expect? One of his kids already hated him, why not another?

In addition to shock that their children would hate them enough for them to go to the level of spying on them.

Surprisingly were angrier at Hera than anybody else, obviously they were anger that one of their kids would do this but they had to feel angry at Hera for making up the stupid rule in the first place.

You can tell a person is horrible when, if they can't have something, they take out their anger on somebody else. That is exactly what Hera did.

She couldn't have children of her own, since the other Gods and Goddesses could, why not take it out on them? That was fair wasn't it? If I can't have it, why should anybody else?

It seemed like a brilliant idea at the time, but now Hera really seemed to regret it.

**The wound in my arm was sapping my ability to think, but I muttered, "Communication device . . . Spy at camp."**

The demigods grimaced, they couldn't believe it when they found out who it was. It was always the person you would never expect.

**Kronos chuckled. "You can't count on friends. They will always let you down. Luke learned that lesson the hard way.**

"Luke's friends never let him down" Thalia spat out in anger, she would never have done anything to Luke.

Hermes grimaced and glared at Hera again, why does she have to act so selfish? Hera was glaring at the floor; this book was making her look bad. She would have ripped it up and banned anybody from trying to find out about it, if it wasn't for those annoying demigods.

But she couldn't help but feel slightly stirring in her chest. What could it be? It was a very un-usual feeling…

**Now drop your sword and surrender to me or your friend dies."**

**I swallowed. One of the giants had his hand around Beckendorf's neck.**

Hephaestus sucked in a sharp breath, trying to clear his panicking mind. Aphrodite looked over at her 'husband', as much as she hated the way he always ignored her for his machines. She did love him, he was sweet, kind and genuine when he actually stopped making things and looked at her.

She did love being with him for a few 100 years but after that, he was ignoring her more and more, staying with his machines more and more. At first she thought maybe it was because of how she looked, so she decided to step up her game a bit, dress up a bit more.

Even when she did that he wouldn't look, or talk, to her for more than 5 minutes.

She couldn't but feel neglected whenever she was around him, even more when she wasn't with him.

She couldn't understand his interest with those machines. They were dirty, smelly and exploded in her face whenever she came close.

She didn't, and still doesn't, understand what is wrong with her? Was she that terrible that he didn't want to spend time with her anymore? Is that why he always played tricks on her and Ares, because he really hated her?

**I was in no shape to rescue him, and even if I tried, he would die before I got there. We both would.**

**Beckendorf mouthed one word: **_**Go.**_

Surprisingly, instead of feeling sad that his son was going to die, Hephaestus smiled. It wasn't a sad smile, but a proud one instead. He was proud of his son selflessness. Proud that he would give his life for his friends.

**I shook my head. I couldn't just leave him.**

Same, with Poseidon, both fathers were so proud of their sons.

**The second giant was still rummaging through the peach cans, which meant Beckendorf's left arm was free. He raised it slowly- toward the watch on his right wrist.**

Hephaestus's heart started beating faster; he couldn't help it so he wasn't going to hide it. He was scared.

**I wanted to scream, **_**NO!**_

"_You're not the only one" _Hephaestus thought. Everybody else was looking grim as well. The demigods didn't like to hear the way their friend died, even though they all lived through the war it didn't get any easier to hear things like this.

The Gods had grim faces on as well, they all felt sorry for Hephaestus. But they were pleased that it wasn't one of their own children.

**Then down by the swimming pool, one of the dracaenae hissed, "What isss he doing? What isss that on hisss wrissst?"**

**Beckendorf closed eyes tight and brought his hand up to his watch.**

**I had no choice. I threw my sword like a javelin at Kronos. It bounced harmlessly off his chest, but it did startle him. I pushed through a crowd of monsters and jumped off the side of the ship- toward the water a hundred feet below.**

Poseidon breathed a small sigh of relief; at least his son was safe. He was in his domain now, he could protect him. It helped him feel slightly less guilty for not being there for him or Sally.

**I heard rumbling deep in the ship. Monsters yelled at me from above. A spear sailed past my ear. An arrow pierced my thigh, but I barely had time to register the pain.**

Hestia had a sad, humourless smile on her face; she found it amazing how this one amazing, powerful demigod was so different from the rest. He was not proud instead humble, he did not through his strength around like a bully instead he only used violence when needed. He wasn't spoiled, he didn't complain that bad things were happening to him, instead he did all he could so other people didn't have to go through what he did.

**I plunged into the sea and willed the currents to take me far, far away-a hundred yards, two hundred yards.**

Poseidon let out a small sigh of relief; at least his son was safe. He was in his Domain now; he could finally protect him properly. It made him feel less guilty for not being there for his son or Sally.

**Even from that distance, the explosion shook the world. Heat seared the back of my head. The **_**Princess Andromeda blew up from both sides, a massive fireball of green flame roiling into the dark sky, consuming everything.**_

**Beckendorf, I thought.**

**Then I blacked out and sank like an anchor toward the bottom of the sea.**

There was silence in the room, nobody knew what to say. Then as one, everybody just stared at Hephaestus waiting for his reaction.

Noticing their worried looks he simply smiled, shocking everybody.

Suddenly he laughed "What's wrong with all of you? I know it's not the most pleasant thing to hear, but knowing that I can save him makes everything alright"

Everybody broke out in smiles relieved that he wasn't mad or upset.

"Well, let's read another chapter then we can have lunch" said Annabeth, she picked up the book.

**I meet some fishy relatives.**


	3. Hey people

**Hello fellow earthlings, **

**First off I wanted to say thanks to all the people who reviewed, it really means a lot. **

**Secondly I wanted to say that I have replaced the first 2 chapters and made some massive and some small changes. I went over them and realised that they were rubbish. **

**So, while you wait for the next chapter, which is almost done (Thank God), you can entertain yourself with those. **

**That's about it, but please remember to review **

**Until next time, may the force be ever in your favour ;) **


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